


Literary Analysis of 'King Arthur: Legend of the Sword'

by The Corellian Pirate (Turhaya_Hundteth)



Series: The Literary Analysis Series [3]
Category: Guy Ritchie Films - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
Genre: Alchemy, Analysis, Arthurian, Gen, Guy Ritchie - Freeform, Harry Potter - Freeform, Lionel Wigram, Literary References & Allusions, Literary Theory, Mythology - Freeform, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Symbolism, film analysis, king arthur - Freeform, literary alchemy, ring composition
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:13:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23829646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turhaya_Hundteth/pseuds/The%20Corellian%20Pirate
Summary: Notes on the movie ‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’ (KALOTS), including a break down of the ring composition and alchemical symbolism, and connections to the Harry Potter Saga (HPS)... A stand in defence of this film, and for all films in general (and their artistic merit!)
Series: The Literary Analysis Series [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1910779
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	1. Introduction and Arguments

I’m a fan of film. And I’m a fan of _this_ film. 

Guy Ritchie’s version of the old Arthurian legend has copped some serious stick, and I think it’s highly unwarranted. I think it’s a great film.

But I’m sick to death of reading shitty reviews about it by morons who couldn’t see past the CGI.

I’ve worked on the Potterversity podcast for the past three years, mostly behind the scenes. It’s been a great privilege to work with such knowledgeable and dedicated people, who give so generously of their time and efforts. They’re wonderful people to work with, and I’ve had the advantage of three years of listening to some of the best minds discuss literature, including ring composition.

So today, I’m going to (what the hell am I doing???...) against all plausible logic….

Try and illustrate the merit of film… using this version of King Arthur, which everyone hates as poor film making… and showing it’s qualities in relation to ring composition, alchemical symbolism, and the Harry Potter saga… using the very tools I’ve learnt from the Potter Experts.

What’s worse – I’m an uneducated movie fan, who loves Ritchie films, has zero class, and has no idea what on earth she’s doing! So… this should be fun!

But! The Hufflepuff in me feels the need to stand up for those who have been maligned, and also roar my terrifying, rebellious badger war-cry.

Crazy, right? Possibly. But maybe I’m not a total idiot…

Lionel Wigram might know - he worked on the KALOTS, and the Wizarding World films.

I am not surprised that KALOTS has many similarities to the HPS. Is it possible that in working with JK Rowling, Wigram learnt the importance of closing the circle? If I worked with JKR, I’d be pumping her grey matter for all it was worth.

So I’m not surprised about other similarities to JKR’s work, like:

  * the character names which have rich meanings
  * a strong message that love is the key (thankfully without a tacky romance).
  * a nod to tarot
  * rebirth symbolism
  * exploration of the feminine in an unexpected way



Arthurian legend lends itself to Christ allegories and alchemical symbolism anyway, but again we have a ring composition with a clear alchemical transformation sign posted at all turns by visual indicators.

When asked in a Collider interview, what elements were kept from Arthurian Legend, Wigram responded:

_“There are certain things: the sword in the stone, Excalibur, the idea that Arthur starts off as an orphan, as a nobody, and becomes king, and the fact that it’s a struggle for him to become king; even in the Morte d’Arthur he has to fight several battles before he’s accepted by the rest of the nobility as king. We’ve done it slightly differently, but those basic elements are there._

_Where we differed was really the idea of who Arthur was, and to a certain extent who the characters are who become the first Knights of the Round Table. …Rather than one magician, Merlin, we have a race of magical people we call mages, from which Merlin has come. That gave us more to play with, more scope. “_

[ http://collider.com/king-arthur-lionel-wigram-interview/ ](http://collider.com/king-arthur-lionel-wigram-interview/)

_“Ours, there is a character journey for Arthur which we think is important and does reflect the human condition. **If you care to read into it you can** …” _

Still – I’m not going to make any conclusions. I’m just going to dump my observations on you and let you make up your own mind which side of the fence you’re on.

Let’s see if you think there’s artistic merit in KALOTS.

As for the transformative qualities of film, I will simply say this:

A book uses your imagination to fill in the visual blanks but tells you what is in a character’s head. A film shows your surroundings but leaves you to guess at a character’s motives.

Could it be that by making you work to feel what a character feels and think what a character thinks, films are _more_ likely to transform a person emotionally?

Working your empathy muscles (rather than your visualisation muscles) may lead to exactly the kind of transformative journey you need. Not only that, but with film's ability to use our senses to directly trip our emotions, film makers can reach our hearts and minds in ways that are unique to the medium.

Whether it’s comparative to books or not, who knows? Greater minds than me, no doubt. But when it comes to exercising our empathy a bit more, I’m sure we can all agree that’s something the world needs more of right now.


	2. Ring Composition

Ring composition is a form of chiastic structure for literature (and religious texts) in which is the first half of the text in reflected in the second half. Something like “A-B-C-D-C-B-A”. In a ring composition, the middle part (in this example “D”) is also reflective of the start and finish (“A”).

One of the stand out elements of KALOTS is the almost perfectness and timing of the ring structure.

The film is divided into 11 chapters in the DVD / Blu Ray version (the blu ray actually has 12 chapters, but the 12th is just the credit roll) making the halfway point in the 6th chapter. The movie is two hours without credits, and the middle turning point in the story is _precisely_ halfway in the film.

These can be broken down further into 21 subsections, with the middle 11th  sub-section being the story ‘clasp’ in the exact middle of the ring. The ring composition is not just at a chapter level but at a _sub-section level_.

The ring composition is so exact, that it not only manifests in the plot, but in the _runtime of the film_.

As well as a well-crafted ring composition, there are also other reflected, or mirrored elements. These mirrored elements, while not always lining up exactly, do appear at opposite sides of the ring.

Even where these mirrors are not exactly opposite, they are generally pretty close. Most of these points are key thematic moments, and mostly in dialogue. Some example of this include:

  * Vortigern’s “You’re quickly becoming a legend” and The Mage “You’re no longer a myth”
  * The Syren’s “Balance is a law which can cannot be transgressed” and Maggie’s “It’s you who fed the hangman”. This is also reflected in the mid-point, forming a triangle with the Mage’s “Where there’s poison, there’s a remedy” which indicates this is a very important theme.
  * Vortigern says to Arthur “You will add to my name and for this I salute you” and Art says “You made me what I am and for this I bless you”.
  * Vortigern asking what gave Art such drive, and Art telling Vortigern that it was Vortigern himself that made Arthur who he is “You make sense of the devil”.
  * Vortigern’s speech about the people fearing him and it being “the most intoxicating sensation”, and Back Lack’s response that the King came to visit a commoner on his last day and that “you look well, and I look poor, but who would I rather be?”



Other mirrored moments include Rebel graffiti done by a small boy, the appearance of Mega Snake, Catia associated with birds twice, Jacks Eye in league with Art and Jacks Eye turning on Art.

# Ring Structure Plotted

This plot starts in the left column at the bottom, and is done in reverse order up the page, then follows down the right side until the final chapter

**CHAPTER 11 - MID POINT CAMELOT AND THE TRUE KING**

A Camelot exposition from another viewpoint, back story, and destiny explained

Did you see everything you needed to see?

The two towers are the same

Where there is poison there is a remedy

Mages were murdered. Vortigern betrayed the king. Mordred’s tale, Merlin forged Excalibur, took down tower, lady of lake.  
  
---  
  
**CHAPTER 10 - MISSION MONTAGE**

  * A mission of self in the Dark Lands completed alone. A woman provides information and way in to getting the job done. The mission is carried out but the true mission is not fulfilled. Art partially finds his calling.
  * Touches the sword to altar – vision. Mother dies. Father killed (child closes his eyes). Uther sacrifices himself to stone. Vortigern unveiled as the bad guy
  * Snake Bat Rat Wolf (and Giant Snake). You don’t want all of him to survive, that’s the point – break down completely
  * Uses earth to open the entrance. You must touch to the altar stone (Eagle)
  * He needs to go to the Dark lands

| 

**CHAPTER 12 - MISSON MONTAGE**

  * Mercia is failing to find him
  * Blue, Wetstick and Backlack return. Art has lost everything. Jackseye turned, Mischeif John. Girls came with them.
  * Art vows to kill Vortigern. Brings all the crew together and introductions
  * Talk through how it will go with Noble families and their rudeness
  * A mission of togetherness to thwart Vortigern. A woman (KAY) provides the information and way in to getting the job done. The mission is carried out but the true mission is not fulfilled. Art partially finds his calling.

  
  
**CHAPTER 9 - VISIONS AT THE RESISTANCE CAVES**

  * You are resisting the sword. What do you see? Something you have seen long before you touched the sword. Do you want the dreams to stop
  * The mage uses fire and sword to see Art’s dreams. Sees his mother and the sword cutting his hands
  * Takes the sword and passes out – vision – run son
  * Fights with Goosefat
  * Taken to the resistance cave

| 

**CHAPTER 13 - VISIONS AT THE RESISTANCE CAVES**

  * Vikings and Mercia cut deals for slaves. Vikings question Vort’s authority
  * Vort calls Catia and Maggie hears the plan
  * Tries to hold the sword and still can’t control it
  * Did you see everything you needed to see? Did you look away? We all look away, but that is the difference between a man and a king
  * Maggie comes to the resistance cave. Tells of the trip and the tower / power increasing

  
  
**CHAPTER 8 - FAILED ASSASSINATON**

  * Jump into the river – Run for it!
  * The sword is stolen by the resistance
  * A Failed Assassination of the king and a costly escape where resistance lives are lost
  * Percival and Rubio save art
  * Mage uses Eagle to save Art



| 

**CHAPTER 14 - FAILED ASSASSINATION**

  * Rooftop king assassination fails
  * Vortigern knows the plan. Vort says Maggie is more significant than he thought. Maggie says he brought it on himself. You might survive today but the noose has been tied
  * It’s a trap! Run for it!
  * Rubio and Back Lack get left behind
  * Mage uses birds to escape

  
  
**CHAPTER 7 - A FRIEND IS SACRIFICED**

  * Art refuses to take up the sword
  * Lucy is sacrificed by Vortigern to keep Art quiet. NO choice
  * Vort says that he will let the people hate him as long as they fear him. Says Art will add to his name, and for this he salutes him
  * Vortigern forces the people to bow
  * Assembly at the tower, the people see him refuse to be king.
  * Meet Rubio, Bedevere and the Mage. You will be his guide

| 

**CHAPTER 15 - A FRIEND IS SACRIFICED**

  * Art uses the sword by instinct when Art’s friends refuse to leave him
  * Blue goes back for Back Lack
  * Safehouse – rebel graffiti
  * The people start to rebel. The people see Art as king
  * Back Lack allows himself to be sacrificed



NIGREDO  
  
**CHAPTER 6 - DENYING KINGSHIP. THE PEOPLE’S ALLEGIENCE.**

  * Art talks with Vortigern and Vort asks “what gave you such drive?”
  * Vort tells Art he went to the brothel and saw his coffers – your achievements now stand as your prosecution
  * Art denies he is king and says he can just run away
  * Vortigern holding the crown in the cell. Says they have commonalities – desire for power
  * Vort asks Merica about Art and his background

| 

**CHAPTER 16 - DENYING KINGSHIP. THE PEOPLE’S ALLEGIENCE.**

  * The resistance starts, rebel grafitti
  * Art reflects on his losses sitting with Blue who has just lost his father
  * Sees Lucy, Back Lack and Rubio
  * Wants to deny the sword and runs away

  
  
**CHAPTER 5 - THE SWORD IN THE WATER – TAKE THE SWORD**

  * Art pulls the sword from the stone,
  * Art ends up on the barge on the river and sees the slaves – when you meet him ask him
  * Art runs from the blacklegs
  * Art dreams again / has visions



| 

**CHAPTER 17 - SWORD IN THE WATER – TAKE THE SWORD**

  * Art throws the sword in the lake
  * Art meets the lady in the lake / shown visions
  * Let me show you what your uncle will do if you do not accept this sword
  * Where sword meets tower
  * Rubio is caught



ALBEDO  
  
**CHAPTER 4 - BLACKLEGS ARREST A REBEL, ART IS CORNERED. PROTECT THE INNOCENT.**

  * Maggie – do the people love me?
  * Art tells his story denies dealings with the resistance: Lucy, George, Flat nose Mike. Rebel Graffitti and Blue Boy, Vikings. Leader of the gang. Three men in White.
  * Art is protected by Jackseye, and hands in Goosefat (bleeding from an arrow)
  * Art gives money to Lucy and the blacklegs arrive

| 

**CHAPTER 18 - BLACKLEGS ARREST A REBEL, ART IS CORNERED. PROTECT THE INNOCENT.**

  * Takes up leadership
  * Art is outsmarted by the blacklegs when they enter the resistance lair. Leader of the Gang again.
  * Mischief John delivers a message – it’s about a girl and a boy again
  * Art gives up the sword through Bedevere and promises himself to protect the Mage.

  
  
**CHAPTER 3 - SWORD IN STONE, RISE OF ART AND TOWER**

  * Vortigern calls the Syrens - BALANCE IS A LAW THAT CANNOT BE TRANSGRESSED. You know the price
  * The sword reveals itself in the stone from the water, but the tower is not finalised
  * First Vision – run son
  * Tower goes up and Vortigern rises
  * Arthur becomes a man, grows, fights and gains wealth on the streets – the hard life that made him what he is today



| 

**CHAPTER 19 - SWORD IN TOWER, RISE OF ART FALL OF TOWER**

  * Cauldron. The venom will show things he does not want to see. Snake bites - Sees himself as a child again
  * Golden throne room.
  * Vort visits the Syrens. Three women in white – Vort visits Catia. Stabs her and pays the price.
  * Art enters the castle and starts carving everyone up. Black legs lay down their swords. Resistance take back Camelot



CITRIANAS  
  
**CHAPTER 2 – ARTHUR’S EXILE**

  * Arthur is found wrapped in furs by the women and taken in to the brothel
  * Arthur floats down the river like Moses (child in the water)( legend of sword main theme)
  * Uther’s wife falls into the river
  * Vortigern sacrifices his wife to challenge the king



| 

**CHAPTER 20 – ARTHUR’S RETURN**

  * (legend of the sword main theme again) Catia in the water (child in the water)
  * Vortigern and tower transform
  * Final vision – you don’t need to run, you don’t need to look away. The sword is yours, son.
  * The fall of Vortigern



RUBEDO  
  
**CHAPTER 1 - CAMELOT AND THE TRUE KING**

  * The failed struggle for peace. We see the two royal families. Funerals.
  * Argument around the table – Bedevere and William stand with the king
  * Victory with the sword (pride and politics) and the fall of an evil mage
  * Uther hands Vortigern the crown and tells him to hold it steady
  * War at Camelot – elephants and eagles.

| 

**CHAPTER 21 - CAMELOT AND THE TRUE KING**

  * Victory over Evil
  * Same funerals. Round table being built.
  * Knighting and kinging and Vikings (wanted slaves)
  * enter the ladies and Blue with the crown and the eagle
  * Established peace, crowds, hooray, Camelot,
  * crown on head




	3. Literary Alchemy Symbolism

** Anitimony **

The first piece of rebel graffiti which is seen on the walls of the brothel during Jacks Eye’s tale is a cross on top of a circle. It has a threefold meaning – the sword still inside the stone, the Globus Cruciger, and the alchemical symbol for antimony.

The second piece of rebel graffiti resembles the symbol for Regulus Anitmony.

The Grey Wolf is another symbol for antimony. The Grey Wolf swallows up other metals to form alloys, and purifies gold. This is symbolised by the Grey Wolf devouring the Black Dog that represents other metals (Vortigern’s Black Legs often have black dogs with them).

There are two key moments when wolves appear. Firstly, in the Dark Lands, Art sees three grey wolves who pursue him up to the Mage’s tower. The other is when Mischief John delivers his message in the rebel cave that Blue boy and the Mage have been taken captive, and wolves can be heard howling as part of the sound track (the title of the song in question is _The Wolf & The Hanged Men_).

The continual references to antimony, I believe, are symbolic of two things:

Arthur combining with his friends to overthrow Vortigern. His true strength comes from working with others and not going it alone (his failure in the Dark Lands)

Arthur symbolically becoming one with Britain as a nation when he is a king

Antimony of the King - the transformation of Art into the true king, and combining his metal with that of the people.

** The Crown **

A film called “legend of the sword” doesn’t have a logo of a sword - it has a logo that is shaped like a crown, often shown with Art and Vort facing each other.

The stylised movie crown logo looks suspiciously like two alchemical symbols. The first is “Ablemic” and the second is “Regulus”

The symbol for “Alembic” in alchemy which is a device that is essentially two vessels connected by a tube. Most likely it is his connection with Vortigern that is being referenced. There are continuing references to the two being in balance with each other, and the ‘face off’ on the movie poster would certainly seem to indicate this is the case

In Alchemical symbolism, the symbol for regulus is a traditional looking crown with three points and a rectangular bottom. Regulus in metallurgy is the impure mass of metal formed beneath the slag in smelting and reducing ores. The unseen metal that lies under the surface…

It is also, as HPS fans would know, a star (in the Leo constellation - lions being associated with the king of England)….

….. and the name of Sirius’ brother….

** Black, white, yellow and red **

In the returning half of the ring composition, just like in HPS, we see the stages of alchemical work.

In KALOTS we see four stages. This interestingly fits in with the alchemy of time, as prior to the 15th century the yellow stage or the “chemical wedding” was seen as its own stage, whereas later it was combined with the red stage, leaving only black, white and red.

Art also has three alchemical friends he loses along the way, a Black, White and Red friend. He also has a Yellow friend in the Mage.

**Nigredo**

The Black stage is first attempted in the Dark Lands. The Mage says:

“He has to go alone”. “You don’t want all of him to survive, that’s the point. You have to break his old self completely. Wear him down”.

The Black phase only truly works, when Back Lack, the Black character is lost. This scene is preceded with a flock of black crows or ravens, which are the animal symbols for nigredo.

While sitting with Blue Boy (fast asleep), Arthur flashes back to the demise of his three friends. In order, they are – Blue when B.Lack is being killed, Lucy the White, and Rubio the Red. It then shows Back Lack’s face as the final indicator that Art’s break down has finally arrived. His nigredo is complete.

Art, a broken man, runs off with the sword and chucks it in a lake.

**Albedo**

The Lady of the Lake comes next and drags him into the water, a pale woman in the water, showing him what will happen if he fails. Art emerges from his mud puddle physically dirty, but spiritually clean, and with new resolve to do the thing properly and take the castle through the front door. Not for revenge, not for rebellion, but for the people of Britian.

**Citranus**

Art realises he needs The Mage in order to fulfil his destiny. He needs to work with her, or his mission will fail. After bartering her release, they engage in the Chemical Wedding – in this case taking chemicals together.

Art is given something by The Mage (while she boils something in her cauldron). He proceeds to trip out accompanied by a remade version of “Wild Wild Berry”, a traditional song about the demise of young men by nightshade (administered by women).

Art heads off, off his head. He sees a bunch of naked female wood nymphs (a call out to Artemis perhaps?) and ends up in Vortigerns golden tower. Vortigern is dressed in gold (the only time) and Art is in shades much yellower than we have seen previously. The Mage works her magic surrounded by golden leaves.

The sword is stuck in the stone, and a giant snake appears (just in case you’d not had enough sexual imagery yet).

**Rubedo**

The final stage where water and fire, Art and Vortigern meet. Arthur finally becomes the true king. He does not need to look away any more. After doing a battle, he is the true king – the Pendragon bloodline reborn.

** Art and Catia as Sulphur and Mercury opposites **

Sulphur is the male - fire and an agent of change. Mercury is female, fluid and passive – needing the male influence to allow it to transform. It is often symbolised by birds.

In KALOTS, Art and Catia seem to be opposite sides of the same coin, and are the Sulphur and Mercury of transformation. In an early scene we see the two children together with their respective families. They start as equals with whole families. Art starts his life floating in water, to be picked up by three women in Londinium who would raise him so he can find his own power. Catia’s end is also floating in water, dragged under by the three Syren’s who would feed on her in exchange for power – transformed by the male father who would benefit from that power.

Through the film Catia is shown as being in a position of privilege (her father being the current ruler) but not possessing any real power to change. Art is the opposite – an agent of change with no privilege. Art has much witty dialogue, whereas Catia is often seen and not heard – one active one passive.

Catia is shown holding a bird (with Vortigern pointedly telling her to put the bird back in the Aviary - a line of dialogue with no other apparent use), and birds are heard chirping in wild alarm at the moment she is sacrificed.


	4. The Potter Connection and Names

Names are hugely important in the HPS and seems to be also vitally important in KALOTS. Despite the fact that there are many characters with names who were predetermined (such as Arthur and Bedivere), KALOTS has carefully chosen the names of the characters not otherwise dictated by Arthurian Tales.

Art

Art, a common shortening of Arthur could be a nod to “Art of Fire” (another name for Alchemy). The fact that Arthur is a king, known among friends by a nickname could also be a reference to Prince Hal. Art could also be a double entendre, considering the man was raised in a brothel.

Back Lack

Both Arthur’s closest friends have names which are double entendres. Back Lack, could literally refer to lacking in the back (i.e. having no posterior), being unable to “put one’s back into it”, or even someone who is lacking in spine. ‘Lack’ is also slang for a girlfriend, or for someone who is stingy. Art and Lack are very close, and Art refers to both Lack and Wet Stick as the “weak and needy”. But the most compelling meaning in the name is Alchemical – Back Lack contracts to ‘B. Lack’, or black. It is Back Lack’s death that represents the nigredo phase of the film.

Wet Stick

Wet Stick is another double entendre name, which I don’t believe I need to explain! The term ‘Wet Stick’ also relates to story-telling. “Dry Stick” is most common when telling secrets, sexual stories, or embarrassing situations. The act of giving the Dry Stick occurs when the story teller realises how embarrassing or stupid the story is, regrets starting the tale and finds an excuse to stop. Giving a "Wet Stick" is finally finishing the story.

His character reveal as Sir Tristan is a form of Wet Stick. The most important part of his character – his true identity –is omitted and not revealed until the very end. Sir Tristan is the knight undone by love in the poem _Tristan and Isuelt_.

Blue Boy

“Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn!”…. Blue acts as a messenger in the film, declaring to Art that the born king is coming back.

“Where is the boy who looks after the sheep? Under the haycock fast asleep”. Arthur is certainly not leading his people as he should, and even as he watches Blue sleep after Back Lack is murdered, he has yet to take up leadership for the right reasons.

Lucy

Lucy is the feminine form of “Lucius” (Hello HPS fans). Lucius means _as of light_ ( _born at dawn or daylight_ , maybe also _shiny_ , or _of light complexion_ ). Lucius Tiberius appears in Geoffrey Monmouth’s version of Arthur, and demands money from him, resulting in a war. Art demands money from the Vikings on Lucy’s behalf, which puts the Black Legs on his tail.

If the male form (Lucius) means daylight, then Lucy could also be associated with the moon. All these point to her being the Alchemical friend that represents the albedo white phase of the story. She is the second alchemical sacrifice.

Kay

One of the women Art is living with in the brothel is called “Kay” in the credits. She is the one that gives the idea to burn the palace down and is part of the rebellion. This is a reference to Sir Kay who raised King Arthur as a foster brother, except that the male is replaced with female.

Maggie

The name Maggie means "pearl". Maggie is a woman of Vortigern’s court who passes secrets on to the rebels. Vortigern says he didn’t realise Maggie’s strategic value, as it is hidden from him for the first part of the movie, much like a pearl hidden in an oyster. Maggie is also patron saint of women and child birth, and is therefore a strong female influence in the political game being played out. Maggie is also the Scottish national name, and could represent rebellion against the English monarchy.

Jacks Eye

Jacks Eye, a Black Leg Sargent, happens to have one good eye and one damaged one. Jacks Eye is a term for a person who shows the good side of themselves, while hiding the other side of themselves as being incredibly repulsive, insincere, malicious, and untrustworthy. In the first half of the film Jacks Eye is seen helping Arthur and tipping him off that he is in danger. In the second half of the film, Back Lack tells Arthur that Jacks Eye had turned on them and led the Black Legs to destroy Arthur’s home and crew in Londoninium.

  
Catia

Catia means “Pure”. Firenze tells Harry in the Philosopher’s stone that the price of killing a unicorn in order to drink its blood and stay alive is a cursed life. “You have slain something pure” and so you will be damned for it. Catia represents Mercury from an alchemical perspective (and mercury looks very much like unicorn blood!). While Catia’s sacrifice brings Vortigern power, he is cursed in a way by killing something pure and innocent.

Rubio

Rubio quite an obvious connection with alchemical red, like Rubeus Hagrid. He represents the third alchemical sacrifice. Rubio is not actually dead after the failed assassination of Vortigern, and is captured by the Black Legs. It is Rubio who is forced to reveal the Resistance hideout to Vortigern and set in motion the final chapters of the film.

William

Sir William is not one of the Knights of the Round Table, although he sounds like he should be. Otherwise known as ‘Goose fat Bill’, William means “resolute protector”, can be shortened to “Will”. This fits with his unflinching loyalty to the Pendragon Line. Even after being turned over to the Black Legs, Goose fat is loyal to Arthur. As a show of mutual respect, it is Sir William who is asked to do the honour of crowning the king in the final chapters.

His ‘resoluteness’ is ironically manifest in his stubborn attitude. It is his “Will” and failure to heed Art’s warning which leads him to shoot Mercia, a very costly action.

George

Sir George is another would-be Knight of the Round Table, who sounds like he should be, but isn’t. The meaning of the name is “farmer”, and George cultivates and raises fighters. Sir George, of course is the patron saint of England who fought the dragon (the dragon being symbolic of the devil). When Jacks Eye asks about which ‘George’ Art is talking about, he mentions “George the dragon”.


	5. Other Themes (shared with the Potterverse)

**WOMEN**

Women and Power

An example of misinterpretation of the film is the insistence by critics that Guy Ritchie neglected women.

Let’s start with the magical Mage. Replacing Merlin, the most powerful and famous characters in Arthurian legend, with a woman as Arthur’s guide is a big statement. The line “I thought you’d be taller… and have a beard” is a direct Pun on the expectations that a man would lead the future king.

Her resolve is absolute. She is powerful, determined, skilled and smart. She a leader who stands her ground with Bedivere and Arthur. Other statements of power by women include:

  * Uther’s wife “have we arrived in time to save you from yourselves”
  * When Vortigern sacrifices his wife, she says “tell me what it is and I will make it stop”
  * It is also of note that no woman ever begs for her life in KALOTS. There is no crying, or pleading to be set free. No woman calls for a man to come and save her. Maggie, even when exposed as a traitor, remains strong and defiant.
  * The ladies who found and raised Arthur play critical roles in his development. Arthur reminds Lucy of the importance of women in his life when he tells her that “you girls have been looking after me a lot longer than I’ve been looking after you”.



There are many appearances of women in threes or else represented as the Divine Feminine.

In characters, we firstly have the Syrens who Vortigern seeks his advice from, and resemble the three witches in MacBeth, The Three Fates.

The Mage, as a powerfully magical woman, is a symbol of the Divine Feminine in herself, but it is her role in the Chemical Wedding which is key. Alchemically speaking she unites with Arthur in order to help him achieve his rebirth a king. Catia, is also an alchemical representation as Art’s opposite.

The Lady of the Lake is more straightforward representation of a goddess. However, in her scene with Arthur she reveals a vision of what Vortigern will do if Arthur cannot stop him – in this vision is a very clear representation of the Maiden, Mother and Crone mourning their loss. The Mother cradles her baby and looks directly at the camera (Art’s perspective).

It is women who often deliver the key thematic messages in their dialogue, warning Arthur and Vortigern of dangers and commenting on their behaviours.

**TAROT**

The Tower means danger, crisis, sudden change, destruction, higher learning, and liberation. If the Tower has a crown, the crown symbolizes materialism. The Syrens say that Vortigern is attempting to cap his tower silver from Gaul (at which point he shall have what he wants).

The Tower in tarot follows immediately after the devil, which is seduction by power and the material. In KALOTS, Vortigern is the embodiment of the devil. He is resplendent with horns and fire, and the song “Devil and The Huntsman” is all about Art defeating him.

**Rebirth**

The song _The Politics & The Life_ in the opening scene sets the tone for alchemical rebirth:

 _Gafflwn Dihenydd, o'r fuddugol yn wiriol sydd._ _  
Ni fydd neb yn ein Drechu, Falch ydy ni i drochu,  
Traed o flaen i'r Annwn, mewn y gwybodaeth fe godwn ni._

 _We cheat Death from his rightful victory._  
No one can defeat us. We are glad to plunge  
Feet first into Annwyn in the knowledge that we will rise.

**THREES**

The number three has been spiritually significant through many cultures and many ages. In particular with women, there are many threes, and this symbolises the Three Part Godess, or the Three Fates.

  * With the Lady of the Lake, Art sees in the vision three women and a baby (The Maiden, The Mother and The Crone – symbolising the Three Part Goddess)
  * Three women from the brothel are often seen together - finding Art as a boy, at the brothel table when Art enquires about Lucy, in the caves
  * Three syrens live in the water under Vortigern’s tower, of three varying ages. Vortigern visits them three times. These are equates to the Three Fates (like the three witches in MacBeth)
  * In one key scene right before Vortigern sacrifices Catia, Catia is seen with two other attendant and all three are dressed in white.
  * Three members in each royal family, and all three royal women are killed at the hand of Vortigern
  * Three times the Mage asks about what Arthur sees, and three times the mage invokes magic to help Art on his quest
  * Three comments / predictions on balance are made by three different women – The Syrens, Maggie and the Mage. The Syren’s “Balance is a law which can cannot be transgressed” and Maggie’s “It’s you who fed the hangman”. This is also reflected in the mid-point with the Mage’s “Where there’s poison, there’s a remedy”



There are three montage scenes of threes – Jacks Eye’s Tale is the first. In the scene, three men get questioned by Jacks Eye (Art, Wet Stick and Back Lack) about “A girl called Lucy, a Viking called greybeard, and some rebel graffiti dirtying these walls”. Names and key phrases are in three parts, or repeated in three variations:

_Jacks Eye: “King George, Angry George, George the Dragon. Be clear, Arthur. Which George?”_

_Back Lack: “Chinese George, Kung Fu George, Our George.”_

The second is the Dark Lands scene, three people travel by boat to the island where Art is attacked by three types of animals (bats, rats, and snakes) before being chased by three wolves to the altar at the top of the tower.

And third, there are three successful resistance missions made prior to the failed assassination attempt- sinking the barges, freeing the slaves and burning down the palace.

Other threes include three large standing stones inside Vortigern’s tower, three appearances by the Vikings, three times the Black legs raid the brothel, and three attempts to kill a king.

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